5 Important Lessons from the Life of Chadwick Boseman

The essence of life is to live purposely. That was the message of the late prolific Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman. Born on September 29, 1976, Boseman breathed his last on August 28, 2020. It was sad news that shook the world. The actor became a superhero for movie lovers when he starred in Black Panther.

Boseman may be no more with us, but he lived a life worthy of emulation. There are lessons Christians can learn from his life. I have outlined five of them:

1. Live a life of purpose

This was the message that Chadwick Boseman preached when he was alive. While giving an opening speech to the 2018 set of graduating students, Howard University, he admonished them to discover their purpose in life. According to him, purpose supersedes a job or a career. It is God’s plan for your life. The purpose will give you a direction and channel your vision in life.

Habakkuk 2: 2 says, ‘’write your vision and make it plain; so that those who read it shall marvel.’’

Also, Boseman stated that with God on your side, your purpose will be fulfilled. It doesn’t matter the plans of opposing parties. If God is for you, no power can stand against you. Boseman’s message was clear. This is an important lesson from the life of the late renowned actor.

2. Strive for excellence

While receiving an award with his co-actors for their work on Black Panther in 2019, Boseman talked about the limitations he faced being black-skinned. He was young, black, and gifted but it did not stop the numerous challenges he had to face. He was entangled in a system that believed in stereotypes.

Boseman was black and that meant that he had to either come from a dysfunctional home, or he had to be involved in drugs, or belong to a gang star group. He was not comfortable with such representation for being black. Hence, he changed that stereotype. With his decision not to conform to the norm, he went all out to feature in Black Panther, Avengers, 21 Bridges, and other movies that squashed that stereotype. Truly, Boseman was an epitome of excellence. He sought for a narrative, fought for it, and made it happen.

3. Happiness is a virtue

Being happy is a choice. That is not to berate people who find it hard to get over sad situations in their life. People are wired differently. What makes a person strong can weaken another. Boseman wore happiness as a badge of honor. This is not to say that he never had his tough moments that brought tears to his eyes. However, the decision to stay happy lightens your mood, builds your faith, and keeps it alive.

It is pertinent to note that Chadwick Boseman battled with a deadly ailment, colon cancer since 2016. Nevertheless, it did not deter him from staying cheerful. His laughter was infectious. He lights up everywhere he entered. He was an inspiration to many persons. As Christians, this is an important lesson to learn. Staying happy is not the absence of problems. It is having faith that you have a greater power to help you overcome your challenges.

4. Do not judge others ignorantly

As Christians, the Bible admonished us not to judge others if we do not want to be judged. It will be recalled that in the middle of the global pandemic, Covid-19, frail-looking photos of Chadwick Boseman surfaced the internet. Many persons called him un-kind names. Another school of thought said he was doing drugs. However, another group said his drastic weight loss could be in anticipation of a movie role.

In all these arguments, Boseman was battling a life-threatening ailment privately. He still managed to entertain his fans, encourage them regularly, and kept their hope alive.

5. The race is not over until it is

Boseman was an epitome of courage, faith, perseverance, and God’s grace. Despite his health challenge, he still fought to impact lives. He did not just look out for himself alone. He looked out for others; he inspired others because he knew that the race was not yet over till it is finally over. Boseman never gave up until it was time for him to go back to his maker. These are important lessons every Christian must learn - purpose, cheerfulness, not jumping into conclusions, and perseverance.